Attachment for record-producing mechanism



Sept. 15, 1942. w. R. FULLER 2,296,156

ATTACHMENT FOR RECORD-PRODUCING MECHANISM Filed June 11, 1941 4 figFIGB.INVENTOR Patented Sept. 15, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ATTACHMENTFOR RECORD-PRODUCING MECHANISM William R. Fuller, St. Louis, Mo.

,Application June 111, 1941, Serial No. 397,530

3 Claims.

This invention relates to attachments for record-producing mechanism;and more particularly to a brush device intended for use in makingphonograph records. As is well known to those experienced in makingrecords of this type, when the recording needle makes the groove in therecord disc a thin strip of the material of which the disc is formed isthrown up from the groove by the needle, and as this waste materialaccumulates on the face of the record disc it forms an obstruction whichmay hinder the needle in its course, resulting in an unevenness in thegroove which causes a roughness, in the sound when the record is beingplayed. This is asource of considerable loss, for once a record has arough place in the groove nothing can be done to eliminate it, and sucha recordmust be dis carded.

My brush is designed to eliminate this difliculty by removing thestripofwaste material from the record disc as soon as it appears on thesurface thereof in such a way that there will be no opportunity for thewaste material to accumulate, and to accomplish this Without thenecessity of stopping the disc in its rotation. My brush is simple andinexpensive to manufacture, and its use adds nothing to the operatingcost when making a record; since it requires no independent motor but isoperated by the rotation of the record disc.

Fig. 1 is a perspective of my device illustrating the brush and itssupporting means,

Fig. 2 is a top, plan view of the device as it appears when in use.

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the device as it appears when in use.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged, sectional view taken on the line 4-4, Fig. 2',illustrating the engagement of the brush with the record disc.

This invention comprises a brush I having bristles 2 of such softnessthat they will not injure a record disc when frictionally engagedtherewith. The brush l is cylindrical in shape, and has a core 3,preferably formed of twisted wires, with which the bristles 2 areinterwoven. The core 3 extends outwardly beyond the bristles 2 at eachend of the brush, for a purpose to be hereinafter set forth.

The brush is mounted in a rectangular framework including two endmembers 4 and 5, respectively, and two side members 6 and I,respectively. The side members 6 and 'l are rigidly secured to the endmember 4 near its ends, but said side members are slidably mounted inapertures 5' in the member 5 near its ends. The end the framework, asshown in Fig. 1.

members 4 and 5, which are slightly longer than the diameter of thebrush, are provided with apertures 8 and 9, respectively (Figs. 2 and3), located at the centers of said end members 4 and .5 and extending ashort distance into said end members. The apertures 8 and 9 areoppositely disposed and receive the outwardly extending ends of the core3 when the brush is mounted in the framework, and said apertures are ofslightly larger diameter than said core to permit easy rotation of thecore within said apertures. The sliding engagement of the side members 6and 1 with the end member 5 permits said end member 5 to be pushed in adirection away from the end member 4 a sufficient distance'so that theoutwardly extending ends of the core 3 of the brush can be inserted inthe apertures 8 and 9, after which the end member 5 is again pushedtoward the end member 4 to hold the brush within It will be seen that byvirtue of this arrangement the brush can be easily removed for cleaningand. quickly replaced in the framework. The side members 6 and I havestop elements I!) and H at their ends which slip through the apertures5' to keep said side members from slipping out of engagement with theend member 5, and also have stop elements l2 and [3 to keep the endmember 5 from sliding too far toward the end member 4 and thus comingintocontact with the bristles 2.

The end member 4 is Weighted and hasan aperture M, for a purpose whichwill be hereinafter explained. The end member 5 has an extension l5projecting'outwardly from the center of said member 5, and'saidextension I5 is provided with a screw-threaded aperture l6 throughwhich a set screw l1, having the usual head I1, I is inserted. The setscrew ll rests against a control standard l8 on the worktable T on whichthe record is being made in order to prevent the set screw from movingout of place during the operation of the brush.

When my device is to be used during the making of a record, theprocedure is as follows:

The blank record disc A is mounted on the usual revolving platform Bunder the recording needle (not shown) which is held by the arm Coverhanging the disc A, the platform B having a post D which passesthrough the aperture ordinarily found at the center of a record to holdsaid record in place on the revolving platform B. The last-mentionedmembers are not parts of this invention and will not be furtherdescribed.

When the blank record disc A has been placed upon the platform B, theaperture M in the weighted end 4 of my device is passed over the post Dso that it will rest upon the center of the record disc, as illustratedmost clearly in Fig. 3, the aperture l4 being of slightly largerdiameter than the post D, and the weight of said end 4 serving to keepit from slipping ofi of the post D. It will be seen by referring to Fig.2 that the brush now extends over that portion of the blank record discon which the recording needle will operate. The set screw I! is nowplaced firmly against the control standard IS on the workable T and isscrewed upwardly or downwardly through the aperture l6 until thebristles 2 of the brush frictionally engage the upper surface of therecord disc A, and this frictional engagement will cause the brush torotate through the revolving movement of the record disc when the 7record is being made.

The brush is now in its operative position. ;As the disc A revolves withthe platform B, the recording needle, in cutting the sound-groove in therecord disc, throws up a thin strip of material. Ordinarily, as abovementioned, this thin strip of waste material accumulates on the surfaceof the record as the groove grows longer and longer until itforms anobstruction in the path of the-recording needle, and this, as all makersof records know, jolts the needle and causes an uneven place in thegroove-and a resultingroughness in the sound when the rec 0rd is beingplayed. When this happens the record disc is spoiled and must bediscarded;

However, when my deviceis used, byvirtue of the frictional engagementbetween the bristles 2 and the recorddisc A the thin strip'ofwastematerial is caught in the bristles as the brushthat the contact of thebristles with the revolving phonograph record will subject the brush torotary motion, said bristles being so positioned as to remove wastematerial from said record, said framework including at one end aweighted member for engagement with said record, a transverse member atits opposite end, and side members slidably engaged with said transversemember,. said transverse member being provided with means for holdingsaid framework and said brush in adjusted position above said record.

: 2. A phonograph record cleaning device comprising a cylindrical brushprovided with bristles, a framework for rotatably supporting said brushabove the phonograph record, said framework and the brush supportedthereby being so positioned with respect to the phonograph recordthatthe contact of the bristles with the record rotates abovetherevolving record disc and said waste material-is thus removed fromthe surface of the disc and consequently from the path of the'recordingneedle, so that it cannot interfere with the smooth operationof said needle."

When a-record has been completed, the brush is, easily detached from theframework by slidtles, a framework rotatably supporting said brush=above the phonograph record, said framework and the brush supportedthereby being so positioned with respect to the phonograph record Thethin will subject the brush to rotary motion and said bristles being sopositioned as to remove waste material from said record, said frameworkincluding at one end a weighted member for engagement with said record,a second member on said framework opposite said weighted member,"side'members rigidlysecured to said weighted member, said'side membersbeing in slidable engagement with said second member through aperturesin said second member, said second member' having an extension and meansengaged therewith adapted to hold said framework and above thephonograph record, said framework and the phonograph record supported;thereby being so positioned with respect to the phono-- graph recordthat the contact of said bristles" with the record will subject thebrush to rotary motion-and said bristles being 'sopositioned astoremovewaste material from said phonograph record, saidframeworkincluding a weighted member atone of its ends, and at its opposite enda'transverse member disposed'opposite said weighted end member, saidtransverse member being in slidable engagement with said'side mem bersthrough apertures in said transverse member, said side members beingprovided with stop elements adapted to limit the sliding'movement ofsaid transverse member upon said side members, said transverse memberhaving an exten-' sion provided with a screw-threaded aperture andscrew-threaded means adapted to be screwed through said screw-threaded.aperture to .hold

in adjusted posisaid framework and said brush tion above said record.

WILLIAM .R. FULLER. I

